marnold
November 3rd, 2008, 08:08 PM
Well, since I have a bass I'm researching a bass amph. There's a but more to it than might meet the eye. Because of the way the human ear hears low frequencies (poorly) you need a lot more wattage. The problem is that more wattage means more weight--a lot more weight. Since I'll mainly be a basement player, I'd like to have a practice amp that also has recording capabilities one way or another. It'd be nice to be able to use it for a small gig--say with acoustic guitarists or a drummer who doesn't use baseball bats.
I've had a couple of thoughts:
Acoustic B20: Acoustic amps are being made again and the B20 is getting rave reviews on the Talk Bass forums. It's 20W through a 12" speaker. Recording could be done through the headphones jack. It's only available at the various GC entities.
Peavey MAX*: Peaveys are workhorses. My old Basic 50 served me well. A comparable amp to the B20 would be the MAX 110 except it has a 10" speaker.
Ampeg BA112: Ampeg is well-known and loved in bass circles. The BA112 is low end, but still would be almost double the cost of the previous two--albeit with more features. Unfortunately, I've heard bad things about Ampeg's repair situation now that they are owned by Loud and built in China. Having said that, the previous two are made in China too, methinks.
Marshall MB30: As recommended by Duff. Some nice features not included on the first two amps are a line out and effects loop. I could also get one from my favorite shop in Green Bay that I'd actually prefer giving money to. Something just seems weird about getting a Marshall bass amp though . . .
Or I could just get a SansAmp Bass Driver DI. That's the one piece of equipment that it seems just about everybody loves. I could listen to it via headphones or my computer. Obviously it would be ideal for recording. When I'd get a regular amp, I could run the SansAmp through the effects return and use it as a preamp--keeping my tone. If I ever found myself needing more power, it's got an XLR output to run right to a PA mixer. The disadvantage, of course, is that one of my favorite parts of being a bass player is _feeling_ the notes you play. Obviously that won't happen without air being moved via a speaker.
Thoughts?
(As an aside, if I read one more practice amp review where the moron complains that he couldn't be heard over a guitarist with his half-stack, I'm going to scream.)
I've had a couple of thoughts:
Acoustic B20: Acoustic amps are being made again and the B20 is getting rave reviews on the Talk Bass forums. It's 20W through a 12" speaker. Recording could be done through the headphones jack. It's only available at the various GC entities.
Peavey MAX*: Peaveys are workhorses. My old Basic 50 served me well. A comparable amp to the B20 would be the MAX 110 except it has a 10" speaker.
Ampeg BA112: Ampeg is well-known and loved in bass circles. The BA112 is low end, but still would be almost double the cost of the previous two--albeit with more features. Unfortunately, I've heard bad things about Ampeg's repair situation now that they are owned by Loud and built in China. Having said that, the previous two are made in China too, methinks.
Marshall MB30: As recommended by Duff. Some nice features not included on the first two amps are a line out and effects loop. I could also get one from my favorite shop in Green Bay that I'd actually prefer giving money to. Something just seems weird about getting a Marshall bass amp though . . .
Or I could just get a SansAmp Bass Driver DI. That's the one piece of equipment that it seems just about everybody loves. I could listen to it via headphones or my computer. Obviously it would be ideal for recording. When I'd get a regular amp, I could run the SansAmp through the effects return and use it as a preamp--keeping my tone. If I ever found myself needing more power, it's got an XLR output to run right to a PA mixer. The disadvantage, of course, is that one of my favorite parts of being a bass player is _feeling_ the notes you play. Obviously that won't happen without air being moved via a speaker.
Thoughts?
(As an aside, if I read one more practice amp review where the moron complains that he couldn't be heard over a guitarist with his half-stack, I'm going to scream.)